At Shoppers, Inc. we are very passionate about great customer service, measurement, and teamwork. The article below from Kristina Evey about Customers Want Consistency. Each. And. Every. Time. and customer experience relates to our goals and passions. Hope you enjoy it!
I hope you are having a fabulous summer. My family and I just returned from a 4-week cross-country road trip and discovered how important one factor is in the Customer Experience… CONSISTENCY. Road trips are made up of a lot of hotel stays. After trying many different hotels, we found that we went out of our way in almost every city to stay in Hampton Inns. Why? They’ve done a great job building consistency into the experience. We knew what we’d have for breakfast, what the room quality was like, how the staff would treat us, and found that no matter which city we were in, the experience would be very similar in quality and service. While we did experience a few bumps in service, each and every time they made it better than right.
Apparently, Harris Interactive found the same to be true when they conducted their last Customer Experience survey. They found that 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company because of a bad customer experience. This is an increase from 59% just four years ago.
Read more below…
Consumer confidence increases when consistent results are produced. They will return to you again and again when you have not only built a solid relationship with them but when they are certain that they can count on consistent results time after time.
Customer satisfaction increases based on consistency and relationships. Relationships, whether professional or personal, are built on a solid foundation of trust. This trust extends into a level of service that is depended upon. Fluctuations in service will result in disheartened referrals. Should your consistency fluctuate, the referral will sound like “Try XYZ Company. Sometimes they do a pretty good job.” The referral that you want is “I recommend that you call ABC Company. They consistently deliver a quality product and they will treat you well. I know you’ll be happy with them.”
They want to know that what they see and feel one time is what they can count on in future interactions. Regardless if you are going into a chain coffee house, hiring a caterer, working with a realtor, or working with a large office furniture manufacturer, customers want consistent quality products and services. Customers will be much more likely to refer their associates to you when you have consistently shown a track record for results.
Relationships factor greatly into the consistency equation. The customer is looking to see if they are being treated well each and every time. They are looking to see if they are treated the same way by everyone in the organization. Customers will figure out quickly who will and won’t help them in a company. Your customer service reputation is only as strong as your weakest link. All associates in your company need to be delivering excellent customer service, in each and every interaction. Review your core values regularly to determine that they are being considered in every interaction with your customers. The customer will recognize the consistency of exceeding their expectations while holding true to the core values your company was built upon.
Your customers will thank you for it.
Helping you focus on your customers,
Kristina
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